Elephanti gets people to go online to shop offline

In an increasingly digital world where “showrooming” is all the craze and shoppers are looking for better deals online, brick-and-mortar retailers are finding it harder and harder to get people in their stores to buy things.

Sure enough, there’s now an app for that.

Elephanti, a mobile app that connects merchants with customers, is using the power of online to get shoppers to go offline. The app, which is launching in San Francisco today, is personalized to each customer that uses it, so they can find stores they want and get deals in return for shopping there.

Elephanti has already signed up 400 local retailers to participate, including Actor's Theater San Francisco, Cafe Violi, men's retailer International Laundry and Galletti Shoes. While it hasn’t landed any big-name brands just yet, founder Lalin Jinasena said it’s just a matter of time.

“Merchants are excited because this is a powerful tool to get people coming back into their stores,” said Jinasena, a Singaporean hotelier and retail business owner, who said he came up with the idea after facing issues with online stealing his offline business.

The company has experience some success from its pre-beta launch in New York last year. It managed to attract over 600 users and signed up about 1,600 merchants across the country. Jinasena said he decided to officially launch the app in San Francisco because of its tech-savvy crowd and plethora of shoppers.

When people become members, the can create a personalized profile that will allow them to only see brand and retailer information of their choice. They can then search for local products and services. When a member checks into the store to purchase an item, they are offered a discount.

“A lot of people give one-time deals and discounts,” said Jinasena. “This encourages people to come back.”

It’s up to the merchant to decide what kind of discount they give.

As for how Elephanti makes money, Jinasena has come up with a unique advertising revenue model. Merchants will advertise on the app. However, they only have to pay for their ads when a customer checks into their store.

Seems generous. But Jinasena is confident it’ll work. “We need this,” he said. “We need a social media platform that gets customers engaged, checking in and going into stores.”